In the world of theatrical magic, misdirection can be described as a method of deceit that draws audience attention to one thing to distract it from something else. Managing audience attention is the aim of all performances, and the most important prerequisite for all magic shows. If the magic is of the “pocket trick” variety or a large stage productionmisdirection is the main secret. The term refers to either the result (the eye’s attention being drawn to an unimportant object) or the sleight-of-hand or patter (the magician’s speech) that causes it.
It’s difficult to determine who coined the term, but the first reference to misdirection appears in the writings of a renowned author and performer, Nevil Maskelyne: Admittedly, it consists of misleading the viewer’s senses to hide from being aware of certain information for which secrecy is required. Around the same time, the magician, writer, artist and performer Tarbell noted, Nearly everything about illusion relies on the art of misdirection.
A few magicians who have studied and evolved misdirection techniques include Max Malini, Derren Brown, Tamariz, Slydini, Tommy Wonder, as well as Dai Vernon.
Henry Hay describes the chief conjuring process as a manipulating interest.
Some magicians misdirect audience attention in two primary ways. The first is to make the audience turn their attention away for a short moment, so that they don’t detect some act or gesture. The other method alters the perception of the audience, lulling them into thinking that something else is a significant factor in the success of the trick even though it does not have any bearing on the effect at all. Fitzkee notes that The true skill of the magician is the ability of his performance in changing the spectators mind. In addition, sometimes, props like magic wands aids in misdirection.
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Misdirection makes use of the limitations of the human mind to give the wrong picture and memory. The brain of a typical audience member can only concentrate on one thing at the time. The magician makes use of this technique to alter the audience’s ideas or perceptions of sensory inputand lead them to make false conclusions.
A few magicians have debated the use of the term, misdirection, causing many discussions about the meaning of it and how it works. Expert magician Jon Finch identified a difference between direction and misdirection. The first is a negative phraseas opposed to the other, positive. Ultimately, he equates the two as the same thing. If a performer any means, has led the thoughts of the viewers to believe that he’s done something that he’s not done, he has wrongly guided them into that belief; hence, misdirection.
Tommy Wonder has pointed that it’s more efficient, from a magician’s perspectivein focusing on the purpose of directing the attention of the audience. He writes that misdirection implies wrong direction. It suggests that attention is diverted towards something. When we keep using this term, it eventually becomes so ingrained in our minds that we may begin to think that misdirection is directing our attention away from rather than towards something.
Tony Slydini said that if the magician believe that, the public will believe it and magicians are something that they cannot observe. It is true that people believe in what the magician is doing and then follow the magician. site